


Just as you are

by seki



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-09
Updated: 2017-01-09
Packaged: 2018-09-16 01:14:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9267227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seki/pseuds/seki
Summary: Cindy's dazzling. And determined. And downright daring, in the right circumstance.





	

Holly inspects herself in the mirror. A dress; it had seemed like the obvious choice, and the women in the shop had assured her she looked great in it. It's blue, and the skirt brushes her knees, and the neckline scoops low, in folds that don't show too much cleavage while still showing some skin. Carefully selected to fulfil her criteria.

Holly prefers trousers, mostly. Doesn't think she suits dresses; they always hoist her up and pull her in, make her look like something she's not. Holly, if she's honest, is most comfortable in her work clothes, a straightforward jumpsuit that doesn't flatter her in places or promise anything she won't deliver.

But tonight's different. A date. She can't wear her jumpsuit, even if her date might not _mind_ as such. She's still a little uncertain it's a _date_ date. But that's what Cindy said, in that cute-as-a-button accent of hers. There'd be help with the plant and the daemons, in return for a quick -- well, relatively simple, at least -- bit of ore refining, and then Cindy'll take her out for an evening when they both have time.

"A date?" Holly had asked, marvelling at her own daring.

Cindy had smiled her wide, dimpled smile. "Sure. A date."

So now Holly's here trying to look date-ready, and no. She can't wear this. She doesn't feel like herself in it. She digs in her wardrobe. There; the suit she wore to her brother's wedding, last year. It still fits, and if she leaves off the tie then she doesn't look too formal in it. Better. It'll do for most things, unless there's dancing.

Oh god, will there be dancing? Cindy hasn't said where they're going, just to meet her outside the Leville at eight.

Holly calms herself, the way she would for a finicky task at work, and stays calm all the way to their meeting spot.

"Howdy, sweetheart," Cindy calls, from where she's perched against a windowsill.

Gosh.

Holly's seen Cindy at work in Hammerhead, pretty regularly. Cindy dresses like she's in Lestallum's heat, even there; skimpy shorts, a jacket over a bikini top. Makes the boys stare and the girls go thoughtful, even smudged in dirt and with a cap pulled down over grease-stained hair. And when Cindy comes over to Lestallum, she dresses like that too, sometimes ditching the jacket if it's _really_ baking. Draws attention, pays it no heed.

Tonight she's in a dress, silver and filmy, slit from knee to waist up one side, with sort of a drapey halter arrangement in front that leaves her back and most of her sides bare.

Holly's tongue feels like it's sticking to the roof of her mouth, but she unsnarls it and says, "Hi. Wow, look at you. Been waiting long?"

"Not at all," Cindy says, and she stands. She has a little purse with her, silver like her dress. It's the most uncharacteristic thing Holly can imagine her carrying, but it suits her. "You ready to roll?"

"I am," Holly says.

Cindy tucks her hand into the crook of Holly's arm, and they set off. In the direction of the market, Holly realises after a few steps. She holds her head high, sure her smugness must be showing in every line of her. Look at her, stepping out with such a beauty on her arm. They chat, a little, on the way; Cindy's full of gossip about her customers, good-natured snippets that don't make anyone sound bad.

"I figured we could eat on the run," Cindy explains, and they do, fried fishsticks and meat skewers, good rich food that leaves them licking their fingers clean afterwards. Cindy isn't a graceful or delicate eater, Holly realises, and she finds herself using her napkin to wipe gravy from Cindy's cheek. Mortified, she pauses -- what a thing to do, like a _dad_ \-- but Cindy just grins at her, and snags the napkin, and ducks to check her reflection in the glass of the stall.

"Look at me," she chuckles, and she dabs at her cheek, "such a mess. Can't take me anywhere."

"Still beautiful, though," Holly says, and then flushes at herself for being a sap, even as Cindy grins up at her. "Where we going, anyway?"

"You'll see." Cindy straightens up -- thankfully, because Holly was a little concerned about how much of an eyeful folks were getting, with the sides of her dress dipping so low -- and hooks her hand back into Holly's. "Up the stairs, that-a-way."

The destination is, in the end, a bar not far from the power plant. Holly's walked past it before. Never really paid it much mind.

Everyone inside is a woman; not one man, not even there hanging on a gal's arm. Holly's surprised, if she's honest. People still need bars like this? Really? Nobody _cares_ anymore if women date women, nor if guys date guys, surely?

Cindy leads them to a little table in an alcove at back, signals for two beers, and smiles at Holly.

"I know, I know," she says, gesturing round the place. "Old-fashioned, ain't it. But, y'know boys, they get pester-y, and I wanted some peace."

Ah. Holly nods, getting it. A woman like Cindy? One who everyone knows is competent, owns her own garage, can fix any machine you throw at her? Even dressed like she is, some boys aren't gonna take the hint. They might think it's a challenge; girls only dress up that pretty for other girls, or mostly, but maybe for the _right_ boy Cindy might change her mind. She's seen how Cindy has to bat men off, back in Hammerhead, and still some of those lunks don't take the brush-offs as the hints they are.

And it's nice, knowing Cindy wants them to have some peace. Of course, she's getting looks; women in here giving Cindy that appraising look. Holly leans forward, takes Cindy's hand.

Cindy lets her, for a miracle, picks up her beer with her other hand, takes a sip.

"So, ah," Holly says, and stops, and pulls her hand back. Damn. She's always been awful at this, at smalltalk. "Things are good, here. Them boys of yours cleared out the plant nice and thoroughly."

Cindy glances down at her beer, then up at Holly. Flirty. "Y'know," she says, "I'm figurin' you don't _go_ on a lot of dates, am I right?"

"No." Holly's not sure it's meant as an insult, and decides not to take it as one.

"That's what I thought. Always too busy, from all I hear. Taking on everyone's jobs for them." Cindy smiles. "Now, I'm not exactly what you might call high-maintenance, but I _will_ want to be taken out once in a while. Treated nice."

Holly nods. Her ex-husband told her off for never taking him out. "Shown off, a little."

Cindy laughs, a proper belly-laugh. "Naw. Just appreciated, is all. Can't spend _all_ our time together rollin' around in the hay, right?"

There's to be rolling around of any sort? Holly shifts in her seat. "So, you, uh. I.. Are we--"

"Oh, look at me, jumpin' the gun," Cindy says, and waves a hand. "I meant. If it goes well, tonight."

Holly nods, picks up her beer, takes a swig to cover her shakiness. How does Cindy define 'going well'? An important question for the ages. "Well then. I'll try to remember that."

Cindy leans forward, puts her hand on Holly's wrist. Holly examines it; slender fingers, nails cropped sensibly short, fingertips cool on Holly's skin. "You know," Cindy says, and her cheeks dimple in another smile. "I'm pretty sure it'll go swell. We _could_ skip to the bit where you invite me back to yours, and you can take me out another night."

Oh. Oh _gosh_.

Holly's flat isn't far; around the corner, up some stairs. Cindy follows her in, very politely doesn't comment on the mess -- Holly's place is a real spinster pad, right now -- and then steps forward and into their first kiss, right there in Holly's living room.

It's hard, trying to kiss Cindy in that flimsy dress without putting a hand somewhere either bare or as good as. Thankfully, Cindy doesn't seem to mind, slides her hands inside Holly's jacket, makes an appreciative noise as she squeezes Holly's shoulders beneath it.

"My, I'm gettin' all hot and bothered," she says, when they part for air. "Wanna give a girl a tour?"

Holly might not do smalltalk, but she knows this one. She pulls Cindy towards her bedroom, and points. "Bedroom. Kitchen." She pushes the door open with her foot, and steps backwards into it. "My room."

The sheets are pretty fresh, thank serendipity for that. Cindy's dress shimmers in the low light. Holly ditches her jacket, before pulling Cindy down onto her lap, and they kiss for some time, Cindy slowly working Holly's shirt buttons through their holes. The shirt comes open; Holly shrugs it off, lets Cindy run her hands over Holly's chest and upper arms.

Cindy takes her time doing it, too.

"How is it that youlook better undressed than dressed? It's positively unfair," Cindy says, with a smile, and then she lifts her hands to the back of her neck. "Lemme just get this for ya."

The filmy veil falls to her waist at the front.

Cindy's so slim. So willowy. Makes her look worryingly young, if Holly didn't know better. Holly kisses her, again, pressing them together. Cindy soon begins to squirm in response to Holly's hands, one thumb on a nipple, the other hand slid up the slit at the side of Cindy's skirt, high on her thigh. Holly slides her hand a little higher, higher. There; not much of it, but underwear, beneath the skirt.

She tumbles Cindy over, onto the bed, confident now. With only a little helpful wriggle from Cindy, Holly peels the dress and that underwear off, runs her hands back up Cindy's legs, kneels, smiles up at Cindy.

Gentle. Don't race ahead, she reminds herself -- she's never been much for _light_ touches on herself, but it doesn't mean her way is the only way -- and she dips her fingertips in, into the soft fuzz Cindy clearly keeps trimmed this short. Cindy shifts; Holly moves with that, finds the little nub she's looking for.

Gentle.

Cindy's not a girl to just lie back and take it, of course. She puts a hand over Holly's, urges, _teaches_ , sits up a little and pulls Holly down for another long kiss, shows Holly when and how she likes a little inside action, and Holly gives it her best and it shakes out pretty damned well.

Holly's pretty smug, afterwards, with Cindy all wrung out and giddy, but it doesn't take very _long_ before Cindy rolls them over, and sits astride Holly's legs with a distinct twinkle in her eye.

"Well now, my girl," she says, "'bout time I gave as good as I got, I reckon."

She does, too; Holly's always found it hard to get all the way there, either by herself or with help, and she's okay not _getting_ there most of the time. She enjoys the journey, even if she doesn't reach the destination. Still, it turns out Cindy's not the kind of woman who gives up, and she's patient, and Holly makes it there just fine.

Cindy curls into the bed next to her afterwards, grins. Looks like the cat who stole the cream.

"How'd I get this lucky?" Holly asks, raising her hand to brush Cindy's hair from her face.

"I was thinkin' the exact same thing," Cindy says.

Holly can feel the blush rising. Cindy's a sweet-talker, that's for sure. "Do you have to get back to the garage tonight?"

"Gosh, no." Cindy drapes an arm across Holly's stomach. "I told Paw-paw I'd be back in a few days. I _know_ you got work, but I kinda hoped I could convince you to take _one_ day off."

Enough people owe Holly favours right now that she can take a whole slew of days off, if she nudges right. But that's not the thing she's thinking right now. What she's thinking is what she says, "you came over here planning to stay?"

"Sure did. Oh, not presumptious-like. I got a room in the Leville."

Oh.

"I mean, I _hoped_." Cindy grins. "Aim high, that's what I always say. And look where it got me."

"Where?"

"Into the bed of the smartest, kindest woman in all Lestallum, that's where."

Holly inspects Cindy's face, for any sign that Cindy's joking. She finds none. "That's… that's what you think of me?"

"Shucks, hon, that's what _everyone_ thinks of you. You're an intimidating lady to ask out, I'll say that for sure."

"What, and _you're_ not?"

"Me? Pshaw."

Holly rolls over, cups Cindy's hands in her face. "Come on. You _know_ you're hot stuff."

"Is that so?" Cindy chuckles, pulls Holly's hands down, and kisses her. "How about we both agree we're playing in the big leagues here, and thank our lucky stars, huh?"

Even so, after Cindy's gone to collect her things from the Leville -- no point in leaving them there, when Holly's no intention of letting Cindy sleep there -- Holly picks up around her place, smooths out the sheets, calls up the plant's XO to book an emergency day off, and counts her blessings.

Tomorrow, she's gonna take Cindy on the _best_ date. Maybe, if Cindy likes it on her, she'll even wear that dress. They can go dancing. Whatever Cindy likes.

Holly's the luckiest gal in Lestallum. And _everyone_ is gonna know it.

**Author's Note:**

> The end of Holly's quest where she tells Noctis 'no charge, Cindy's taking me out' just did things to my imagination.


End file.
